Tavern on 7 (Norwalk) – Not a Good Burger

Posted on April 17, 2013 by jfoodeats

As my search for great bar burgers continues, I wandered up the street from my office to try Tavern on 7. Located just north of the DMV on the opposite side of the street, there is parking on the side and when I entered midway through lunch service the place was bustling with a full house. Evryone seemed to be enjoying their meal, including burgers, fish & chips, salads and sandwiches.

I was there for a burger and the menu included five choices, an “Angus Cheeseburger,” a “All-Star Burger,” A “Veggie Burger,” a “Turkey Burger,” and my choice the “Tavern Brew Burger,” which included black angus beef topped with Fontina cheese, smoked bacon and caramelized onions.

As I waited for the burger to arrive I was impressed with the energy and the chatter around me. This was a go-to spot for many. The burger arrived and after one bite my disappointment kicked in and nothing in the subsequent bites eliminated this first impression. The meat tasted as if water was added to give it a level of juiciness, the bacon was very basic and boring and the onions were more greasy than tasty. The bun was cold and right out of a plastic bag.

I am glad others enjoyed more than me, but I am not anxious to return and have another burger.

EOS (Stamford) – Delicious Greek Cuisine

Posted on March 10, 2013 by jfoodeats

EOS, the Greek goddess of the dawn, signifies the beginning of a new day. EOS Greek Cuisine, an upscale Greek restaurant in Stamford owned by the Glekas family, recently introduced its new menu and invited CTbites (along with several other bloggers for what we nicknamed “Bloggers’ Row”) for a tasting of several of these items. All of the dishes are based on family recipes with slight modifications to modernize the dishes while maintaining their Greek roots.

The tasting included three MEZEDES (Small Plates), a SALATE (Salad), and three KYRIA PIATAS (Entrées).

My favorite Mezede was the “Feta Saganaki” that featured a thick slice of feta cheese crusted with sesame and poppy seeds, fried and topped with a drizzle of peppered honey. This is a delightful dish. The cheese is slightly melted and contrasts texturally with the crispy exterior of the sesame and poppy seeds. The honey adds a cooling and smooth texture. The addition of the peppered honey elevates the flavor of the dish significantly and is the key component to the overall flavor of the dish.

The “Mydia” included P.E.I. mussels that were steamed in white wine, ouzo, butter, garlic and finished with fresh herbs. The size of the Mussels range from small to medium, yet each are cooked to perfection. The accompanying broth is mild in flavor, slightly accented with just a touch of garlic, which does not overwhelm the delicate flavor of the mussels. This is a good start to the meal.

The “Veggie Moussaka” and the traditional meat Moussaka were, unfortunately, not as good as the other appetizers. The traditional version includes layers of zucchini, eggplant, potatoes, beef, and topped with a béchamel cream, while EOS’ vegetarian version substitutes lentil and mushroom for the beef filling. I give kudos to EOS in developing a vegetarian alternative of this classic Greek dish, but the Béchamel is too dense and would benefit from a lighter and more airy rendition. Likewise the meat and the lentil/mushroom layers are under-seasoned.

Vibrant flavors were presented with the “Eos Sliders,” described on the menu as spiced ground lamb patties with caramelized onions and a roasted red pepper sauce, served on whole wheat buns. The lamb sliders were some of the best I have tasted. Contrary to the menu’s description, the lamb is surprisingly mild, the caramelized onions are soft and sweet, and the red pepper sauce adds yet another sweet component. The rustic flavor of the whole wheat buns is a perfect means to envelope these sliders. The EOS sliders are delicious.

The “Kypro Salata” with mixed greens, grilled zucchini, mushrooms, eggplant, red peppers, Haloumi cheese and balsamic vinaigrette was a pleasant surprise to this non-salad lover. This dish is elegant in its simplicity while simultaneously delighting the palate. The flavors of each of the ingredients are delicious and the combination of the sweet red peppers, the slight peppery flavor of the radicchio, the sour of the balsamic and the saltiness of the cheese create an absolutely perfect balance. This non-salad fan is completely sold on recommending this dish for the table to split.

The three entrées included two winners.

My favorite was the “Lahanodolmathes,” ground beef and rice stuffed cabbage leaves enveloped in a creamy lemon sauce. It tastes much better than it looks and the first bite will bring a smile to your face. The lemon sauce is creamy and flavorful with the perfect amount of lemon to complement the other ingredients. The cabbage is soft, with just a touch of resistance, and the dense meat and rice add another textural element to the dish.

The “Papia,” a char-grilled bone-in half duck, black cherry and red wine reduction with pine nut rice was delicious. The roasted thigh-leg portion is moist and tender with a deep flavor and the sauce is delicious and its sweetness is a perfect balance to the rich and fatty duck. Unfortunately, the rice is bland and would benefit from the addition of a sweet component to better complement the full flavors of the other ingredients. Both the Lahanodolmathes and the Papia are delicious and recommended.

The “Ksifias” (char-grilled swordfish kebab with lemon potatoes) was disappointing. The large cubes of swordfish were overcooked and under-seasoned and required a good splash of lemon to add flavor. The onion slices were extremely pungent and overpowered the other ingredients. I did not enjoy this dish.

Overall, the new menu at EOS Greek Cuisine has many dishes that are outsanding and a few that need some additional work. If you order correctly, you will feast on incredibly delicious dishes from EOS’s modern twists of great Greek family recipes.

Really Liked:

EOS Lamb Sliders
Kypro Salata
Lahanodolmathes – Stuffed Cabbage
Papia – Duck with Cherry Sauce

Liked:

Mydia – Mussels
Feta Saganaki – Feta cheese with Honey

Did Not Enjoy:

Veggie Moussaka
Moussaka
Ksifias – Swordfish

EOS Greek Cuisine

490 Summer Street – Stamford, CT 06901 – 203-569-6250

This review was originally published on http://www.ctbites.com at http://www.ctbites.com/home/2013/3/3/eos-greek-cuisine-in-stamford-revamps-menu.html

Hudson Grille – Cool Place; Burger Not

Posted on February 7, 2013 by jfoodeats

Hudson Grille is receiving some press so I decided to see what all the hub-bub was about, and after my burger today I still have the same question. Yes the place has a great location, yes the place is incredibly cool inside and yes the staff is extremely nice, but at the end of the day the food draws me; if the hamburger is any indication, there are too many other places around that do it better.

I ordered the HUDSON GRILL (sic) BURGER with Comte cheese, caramelized onion, bacon aioli, brioche roll and fries. This sounded like a tremendous combo. The requested doneness was medium rare.

As you can see from my photo the delivery is picture-perfect, nicely stacked, fries in a pretty neat cone and a little cup of ketchup. The cheese sat atop the meat and there was a modest amount of onions. The bacon aioli was missing.

The fries still had their skins and were piping hot which meant freshly cooked so a positive, and the salt was applied in the kitchen. They were good but there was something weird with the texture, very grainy on the interior. They were the best part of the meal and can only give them an “OK.”

Now onto the hamburger. The meat was pretty basic meat, nothing special. It was cooked to my requested medium rare and had a good char on the exterior. When I cut it in half, not one ounce of juice flowed out of the burger, not a good sign. One taste confirmed my fear, no juiciness; it was bland, not seasoned at all and dry.

The accompaniments were equal to the meat. The “caramelized” onions were not; probably raw twenty minutes earlier, they were crunchy, pungent and were basic grilled onions, why restaurants call grilled onions “caramelized” baffles me, please just call them grilled. The Comte cheese was also not as expected. It was lacking flavor and added nothing to the overall taste. Likewise the bun could have been fresher. I ate half of the burger and decided that it was just not worth the effort.

Maybe some of the other items are better, but I would not make a special effort to go to Hudson Grille for the Hudson Grill (sic) Burger.

Plan B (Stamford) – on to Plan C

Posted on January 28, 2013 by jfoodeats

I was pretty excited to try Plan B, a Connecticut based chain with six locations, the newest in Stamford, with the motto of 100% humanely raised and serving aged chuck that is ground on premises. The menu contains over 20 combinations of burgers, almost 50 varieties of bottled craft beers and tons of bourbon choices…does the B stand for burger, beer or bourbon? The space is ultra-cool with tungsten lights dangling from the tin ceiling over wooden booths and tables. There are two separate dining areas, a family-friendly area to one side and a bar with TVs to hang with buddies and watch the ballgame. Plan B had the makings for a total bonanza.

A woody pub-styled entree way greets you with three large blackboards displaying bourbon and beer specials plus the “burger of the day,” which on one occasion was a beef patty stuffed with mashed potatoes, bacon and cheese – I would need a lot of the other “B”s to order that burger. Half of the regular menu combinations focus on beef burgers while the other half includes lobster, salmon, portabella mushroom, chicken, pork or turkey as the main ingredient. The beef combo that caught this carnivore’s eye was the “Bacon Cheese” – American cheese, bacon, caramelized onions and garlic mayo… basic shoestring fries or a salad included or ten other sides are available for a surcharge. Surprisingly only two levels of doneness are offered, “Some Pink” or “No Pink,” but the server whispered that rare or well done was also available. A “rare Bacon Cheese” for me and keep it simple with some shoestrings.

Patty #1 arrived and the doneness was none of the above, the interior was totally raw and the fries were undercooked, still a bit crunchy on the inside. So I asked the server for a re-fire and I ordered “Some Pink” for Patty #2.

Patty #2 had a great char, some melted American cheese, a couple of slices of bacon and a mound of onions, accompanied by a fresh cone of fries. It looked much better…but looks can be deceiving. The meat was juicy but almost flavorless… not a rich beefy flavor but a watery wetness and the saltiness on the exterior was over the top. The grind was incredibly loose, too loose, and each bite caused a piece of the meat to fall out of the other side. And the companion ingredients, well…the bacon was incredibly overcooked, stiff and hard, maybe a leftover from the previous day, and packed an additional wallop of salt. The “caramelized” onions weren’t good at all…maybe boiled and quickly grilled for some crispiness, with very little oniony flavor. As much as I liked the flavor of the sweet and buttery bun it just didn’t hold together, it kept falling apart with the meat pieces. The fries were again undercooked, still a little hard on the interior. Overall it was a disappointing experience. Maybe it was just a bad day since it was Sunday lunch, so a second visit was in the cards.

Round B at Plan B was a little better. Patty #3 was again “Some Pink Bacon Cheese” but arrived beyond well-done. When the manager noticed, he apologized and swiped it from the table…so onto Patty #4, which was again overcooked, to medium-well. The taste of Patty #4 was disappointing – some of the bites were tasteless and watery while others whacked me in the forehead with overwhelming saltiness. I was now as done as the meat. There was some good news…the fries were very good, they were crispy on the exterior, moist on the inside and properly salted and the caramelized onions were delicious with a soft and buttery texture with good oniony flavor. The bacon was fresh and better prepared, but the saltiness level was déjà vu…overpowering and the melted American cheese just couldn’t compete with these other bold flavors. The bun again had difficulty staying together.

After two visits, as much as the space and the service were fantastic, I realize that I am not a fan of Plan B. Most importantly I didn’t like the lacking of beef flavor in the meat, the saltiness was tongue-tingling and the doneness inconsistencies were just too large…four burgers…one raw, one rare, one medium-well, and one beyond well-done. When they nail the fries and caramelized onions these are very good, but they need to upgrade the bun and bacon. There are lots of Plan As in front of this Plan B.

The Chelsea (Fairfield) – Burger From Paradise

Posted on January 9, 2013 by jfoodeats

When I heard that Matt Storch, the chef/owner of Match in South Norwalk, was opening a more casual sister restaurant in Fairfield called The Chelsea, I was excited. I’ve enjoyed many meals at Match, and the combination of The Chelsea’s more casual atmosphere and menu plus Storch’s talents should be a winner.

The Chelsea has seating for 80, whether you want to grab a drink in their English-style pub area featuring a long wooden bar with about a dozen seats, or sit at a table in their airy and inviting atrium. Their menu includes a wide variety of gourmet bar-food options plus eclectic and fusion dishes, all under $25. It offers two burgers: the Salt and Pepper Burger ($12.95), a plain and simple char-grilled patty on a seeded brioche bun, and the Chelsea Burger ($13.95) featuring a “cheddar dip,” sweet-sour onions, and chopped bacon on an onion brioche bun from Good Bread Bakery in Port Chester.

The hamburgers at The Chelsea are definite A-Listers. I ordered each medium-rare and the kitchen complied with perfectly grilled patties. The burgers came pre-cut—not as ordered, but as done to all of their burgers. When I asked about the pre-cut process, I was told, “We like the customer to see the meat and the juice.” Separating the halves revealed a promising pink interior plus a coarse, tender grind.

The meat is a 75/25 blend of chuck, brisket, and short rib from local organic purveyor Saugatuck Craft Butchery that is dry-aged for two weeks. The seven-ounce burgers are ground with an extra-coarse die and hand-pattied each morning and again before dinner. The gas-fired grill imparts a crispy char on the exterior, while the coarse, loosely packed interior stays juicy.

Since there aren’t any toppings on the Salt and Pepper Burger, it’s all about the flavor of the beef. And aside from being neither salty nor peppery, it succeeds with pronounced smokiness from the grill and a deep, rich, beefy flavor. The burger is served on a toasted seeded brioche bun that makes the meat-to-bun ratio a little heavier on the bun side, but the flavors of the meat balance well with the buttery brioche bun.

The Chelsea Burger elevates the basic burger with the addition of numerous toppings—cheddar dip, sweet-sour onions and chopped bacon—and a switch to an onion brioche bun. I was concerned that the flavors would fight each other, but they work in perfect unison. The cheddar isn’t just a few melted slices but a complete cheese-wrap due to the finished patty getting dipped into a bacon-cheese Béchamel sauce before being placed on the bun. The crumbled bacon lends salty-smokiness and crunch while the onions add the desired onion flavor improved with a kick of sweet and sour, plus a soft texture that complements the crunchy bacon bits and the patty’s char. Everything balances perfectly with the bun’s soft texture and buttery flavor. This is one of the most flavorful combinations of meat, toppings, and bun in the area.

The accompanying fries were very good—crispy on the outside, moist and soft on the inside, and well salted. They come sprinkled with Parmesan cheese for more saltiness and parsley that added more color than flavor. I enjoyed the fries more with the Salt and Pepper Burger than the Chelsea Burger—maybe the additional flavors presented in the latter were a little too powerful for the fries.

For a delicious basic burger the Salt and Pepper Burger is a great option, but to truly appreciate The Chelsea’s burgers, go for the Chelsea Burger.

The Chelsea – 12 Unquowa Place – Fairfield – (203) 254-8200

This review was originally published on A Hamburger Today on January 10, 2013 at http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2013/01/the-chelsea-burger-review-fairfield-ct.html?ref=pop_a_hamburger_today

Darien Social (Darien) – Two Strikes

Posted on June 24, 2012 by jfoodeats

I really wanted to like this place from recommendations and when I walked in I had high hopes. My first visit was very weird and like a roller coaster. I sat at the bar near the server station and ordered a bacon cheeseburger with fries and shoestring onions. It arrived very quickly. My first taste was the onions and they were excellent, some of the best I have ever eaten so I was pretty excited. The fries were not in the same league, basic fries, very pedestrian. Now I moved to the burger. I cut it in half, It had a good flavor but there was almost a bitter, vinegary taste to it, the bun was a little stale and I noticed they forgot the bacon, so I told the bartender. Now the unfortunate situation I faced. I was sitting next to a complete oaf. He harassed all the female servers (I have two daughters in their 20’s and it totally pissed me off) at the service counter and the bartender did nothing (other then pal with the guy) and the male servers did nothing, either. I was embarassed for all of them. The runner returned with a plate with my bacon slices. (My preference would have been for them to take the burger back to the kitchen and finish their job), I never had a chance to combine and try because the oaf leaned over and in earshot of the bartender made an incredibly rude comment to the lady seated on the other side of me. The bartender again played ostrich and put his head in the ground. I got up, packed my jacket, (oaf leaned over and apologized to me) asked for the manager, and told him that if his staff allowed that sort of behavior to other members of his staff and to guests, then I was leaving. The manager was incredibly embarassed and told me he would wander over and if he heard anything he would throw him out. Hope he did. In any event I lost my appetite.

Trip number two was much more pleasant, professional and gave me another chance to try the BCB. This time it arrived fully garnished. And it was encased in a different bun than the first time, this bun was much better. Again the beef was full of flavor, but bitter, with that vinegary aftertaste . Not sure what it was but it really took away from the rich flavor of the beef. And the fries were again not to my liking, this time some of them were undercooked.

Would I return…probably, but at this point it is not on the power rotation.

Jfood Eats

Eating and Enjoying

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